Personal Statement and Killing Babies~

Professor Sherman, a Harvard Law grad and phenomenal teacher, once solemly whispered to me, "You must be willing to kill your babies."

This was in reference to good writing. =)

I consult several pre-law students as well as teach the LSAT. Today I sat down to read one of my student's personal statements only to call her three-minutes later and tell her to kill her babies (i.e. get rid of some paragraphs). She was offended. She protested that many people were convinced that her paper was magnificent.

Her writing wasn't bad. However, it was excellent either. Understanding who is the audience is an often overlooked prerequisite to good writing.

My student wrote a personal statement that sounded more like high-minded hosh-posh, proclaiming the meaning of justice and the virtues of law. hmmm...she forgot one thing: her audience probably knows more about it and has read TOO much about it than she can ever muster on a 2-3 page statement.

Unless you have geniunely substantive things to say about law practice (i.e. your experience interviewing clients during your internship with the public defenders' office), it's generally a good idea to stay clear and away from the topic.

Anna Ivey gives the best advice yet on the topic of writing good law school admissions statements.